The Princess' Choice
by Gabi22
Summary: Emma Swan is happily living with her parents at her kingdom, Misthaven. That's until she was 17. Now she's 18 and her parents want her to get married, but she doesn't have any suitors, so her parents proposed the idea of doing a Selection. Will she be able to find her true love, even being reluctant to her parents' idea? The Selection Series AU/Captain Swan fanfiction.
1. The Announcement

Emma woke up as the sun was lighting up her balcony. She took a deep breath and remembered the importance of the date: Her eighteenth birthday.

She was choosing appropriated clothes for that especial occasion; after all she was a princess. She needed to look good, especially for that. Suddenly, she heard a knock on the door.

"May I come in, honey?" She would recognize that voice anywhere.

"Happy birthday, Em!"

"Thank you so much, mom" Emma smiled while her mother kissed her head.

"Guess who is getting breakfast in bed today?" Her mother said when her father entered the door with a tray on his hands.

"Happy birthday, babe! I can't believe you're 18 already!"

-"Me nether dad. I still remember when we used to play swordfight around the castle."

Emma looked at her parents.

"I love you guys" she hugged both of them.

"David, let's let the princess eat." Snow said while Emma sat on her bed when she looked to the plate. It was a chocolate cake. Her favorite.

-"Emma, we have to talk to you. But eat first; we will be waiting for you downstairs at the salon." He grabbed his wife's hand and left her room.

Emma finished to eat the delicious cake and chose a pink dress and beige little heels for going downstairs. She didn't want anything much fancy; she was going to talk to her parents after all.

While walking to the salon, she thanked a few servants of the castle that congratulated her. She found her parents sitting on the table at the salon.

"So, what's the big deal?"

"Emma, you might want to sit down for a little bit" Said her father.

Emma sat on the chair in front of her parents. She was getting a little nervous.

-"Your father and I have been thinking, you're already 18, and at that age, I was already married to your father."

 _Oh no, that talk again._

-So?

"Well…you're 18, and you still don't have any suitors. Your mother and I are getting old, and you need to get married, so you and your husband will rule the kingdom together. You can't rule by yourself, and most girls at your age are at least engaged."

"Yeah, but does it really matter? I mean, it's not like I'm going to succeed the throne tomorrow."

"Emma, you're going to need heirs someday too" Emma's mother said, but she wasn't amused.

"Anyways, we were thinking: you don't have any suitors, but we don't want arranged marriage either. So, what do we do? We thought about doing the selection."

-"What? Are you kidding me? That old thing that I studied on my History classes? How's this supposed to not be arranged?"

"We get that you're upset, Em. But we have no choice, it's this or arranged married with the Prince from the northern islands."

 _WHAT?!_

 _Charles. She met him a few years ago in royal conferences to discuss treaties. They were only teenagers at that time, but she just didn't really like him. She couldn't imagine to get married to him. Ew._

"No way! Never!"

"Calm down Emma, just listen" Her father said.

\- So as I was saying, the process works like this: we're randomly choosing 35 boys from age 18 to 21 from each place of the kingdom, no matter which walk of life, to be living here in the castle as long as you want them. You're going to choose who you want to be your husband, so you'll be eliminating those you don't want, until there's only one left. This is going to be good for our kingdom too; people will be satisfied when they hear that the beloved princess will get married. I believe in true love, but as a king, I also need to believe in the welfare of our people.

 _Damn. He's right. She was loved by the people, mostly because of being Snow White's daughter, who freed them from the hands of the Evil Queen._

"And you expect me to believe that I'm going to find my true love like this? You are trying to ruin my life!"

"Please, Honey. It's for the good of our people too. They will have something to entertain them, so they won't be scared of the Evil Queen's threats to our kingdom."

 _Of course, I'll be some kind of entertainment to our people so they won't worry about the recent threats of The Evil Queen, who keeps saying that she is going to reclaim the throne that Snow White had stolen from her._

She loved her parents and wanted to gratify them, but she didn't want this. She wants to go on adventures, have fun, not being trapped in a castle forever.

"Emma?" Her father's voice got her out of her thoughts.

"Please, only think about this. We have to do this. It's the only way. We can try for just some months and if you don't feel interested in anyone we stop the whole thing."

"No, please no, I don't want any of this!"

"Just consider it as option, Emma, please"

"Are you kidding me? I'm only 18! I don't intend to get married; I'm not ready for such a thing like this! Don't do that with me, please!"

Snow White reached for her daughter's hands on the table.

"Emma, honey, we won't force you. As your father said, if you don't feel interested in anyone, we quit the process." She said calmly.

"I don't want to get married!"

"Honey, we know that we're asking too much, but think about it, alright? We will give you some time to think." Emma's father suggested.

"Do I have a choice?"

David took a deep breath, thinking.

"Well honey, you actually have thirty five."

 _How can they be doing this to me?_

"Please, just leave me alone." Emma said trying her best to not start screaming with her parents.

"Em…"

"Let her, Snow."

They both left the room.

Emma was angry. Angry at her parents. Angry at the people. Angry at The Evil Queen.

No. She wasn't going to give up so easily. She was no one more worth or less worth than Emma Swan, the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming. She was going to fight for what she wanted.


	2. The Decision

Author's note: First of all, thank you guys for the reviews on the first chapter. I apologize if there are any mistakes at the text, English is not my first language, and sometimes I might make some mistakes. I want to make clear that this story follows OUAT's original storyline, but the curse never happened, so Emma was created as a princess in the castle by her parents and Killian never met Milah or lost his hand.

* * *

Emma was in her room reading a book trying to forget her worries for a while. And she was avoiding her parents, still angry at them.

"Your highness?"

"Come in, Joana"

Joana was a servant for her kingdom since when her mother was a child. She was like a second mother for Emma.

"Won't you come down for dinner? Your parents are asking. Should I bring it here?"

"Yes, please, I want to stay a little bit alone"

"Okay, I'll bring it here, your highness."

Joana was about to close the door when she heard people scramming.

"What's happening?"

"I don't know, your Highness."

They went to see the view from Emma's balcony. They seemed to be…The Evil Queen's guards? They were terrorizing her people.

"We have to do something!" Emma said, worried about her people.

"I suggest we go to the basement"

The castle had a basement that was some kind of shelter and hiding place to keep them safe in case something bad happened, like what was happening now.

No. She needed to help their kingdom.

"Joana, please, we gotta help them!"

"No, I'm afraid we can't, Your Highness. I need to keep you safe. King's orders."

Emma realized she couldn't discuss, so they went there.

They finally reached the stairs to enter through the secret passage; the door was opened by a guard. The place was full of servants for the castle. There were cooks, guards, maids, butlers, and a bunch of other people. Emma located her parents, who looked very concerned.

"Mom, dad, I'm here!"

They both looked at her.

"Emma! Are you okay? Did anything happen to you?"

"I'm fine, dad" She said giving them both a hug.

"But…what's happening?"

"Regina is. She sent her guards here just to threaten our people and scare them. She wants to make us leave the kingdom by terrorizing our people." Her mother said, with a guilty look.

"Snow, it's not your fault. It's our kingdom. She was the one who stole it from us, and we got it back. End of story."

"No, you don't understand. I know Regina and she's going to keep threatening our people until we leave the kingdom. And she has magic! She might kill us all!"

Emma had never seen her mother so worried and scared before. She was always the one to have hope, even in the darkest moments.

"Emma, take care of your mother. I'm going there."

"No, David, it's too dangerous!"

"Dad, please, let me help you! Let me go with you!"

"The guards are going with me. I'm just going to check out. I need you to be here. I can't lose you both; you're too precious for me." King David said and kissed Snow quickly and hugged Emma. She heard him whisper on her ear "It's going to be fine, baby." Then, he left the shelter.

 _Wish I was hopeful like him._

* * *

They had been waiting for almost an hour. Emma was sitting on a chair by her mother. Their hands were clasped tightly together on Emma's lap. She could feel her mother's hand trembling.

"Mom, it's gonna be alright, you know. We will find a way." Emma tried to talk like her mother always did.

"I know, sweetie. I'm just a little worried with our people and your dad."

That was it. Her parents loved each other so badly that they hated to be apart, even for some hours. It was true love. She wanted that, but was it possible? Would she ever get that, just like her parents?

A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. Michael, the guard rushed to open it.

"You may return to your posts. We took care of situation, everything is fine." It was her father's voice.

"David!"

"Dad"

They three hugged.

"So? Any conclusions?" Snow said, afflicted.

"Yeah, but first let's get out of here, shall we?"

* * *

They were at her father's office, basically a place where the king (sometimes with the help of the queen) solved The Kingdom's problems and made decisions.

"You were right, Snow. Regina is threatening our people to reach us."

"Did she kill anyone or something?"

"She wasn't here, or at least we didn't see her. It was just her guards, a bunch of them. They hurt some people, but it was nothing too serious. I had a reunion with the guards and we think it's not over yet." Emma's father said, concerned. "We think that some other attacks might happen."

"Oh no, what do we do?" Snow was so worried. She loved her people, and she was happy because that love was mutual, they trusted her as the Queen with their lives. How would they after that?

"We are going to find a way. This is our catchphrase."

Emma was just observing them and thinking.

" _They will have something to entertain them, so they won't be scared of the Evil Queen's threats to our kingdom."_

Now she understood her fathers' words.

Being a princess was not easy, sometimes she had to do things she didn't want just for the good of the people. Imagine being a queen.

Her father was hugging her mother, trying to reassure her.

"I'm going to rest a little. Dad, can we please talk later?" She said, actually wanting to give her parents a little privacy.

Emma was walking the halls of the castle trying to ponder about what had just happened. Her parents were concerned. The Evil Queen was angry. Threats. People were afraid.

 _The Selection._

But would it really entertain her people?

Questions wouldn't shut down.

* * *

"Dad?" Emma knocked on the door of her father's office.

"Come in, Emma. You wanted to talk to me, right?"

"Yes, if you are not occupied."

"It's alright. Your Mom is resting a little, she's worried, you know. But it's okay. Spit it out"

"Well…I want to make clear that I don't intend to get married soon or doing a selection, but I understand its importance for the welfare of our kingdom."

Her father smirked. "Now you're talking like a queen."

"After everything that happened…I finally agreed with you."

"Go on."

"I agree in being a part of this entertainment. But as you said before, if I can't find anyone suitable, we stop the whole thing. No marriage or princes."

He looked in her eyes.

"Emma, you know how important this is, don't you?"

"Of course I do."

"Especially in this delicate situation we're living."

"I know." Emma said looking serious, being well aware of how serious that was.

"I won't let you down. I can't promise that I'll fall in love or something, but I promise I'll try my best to do this wisely and to help you and our kingdom."

"You swear you at least try?"

"We have a deal."

"Okay…I'll tell your Mom and we'll be announcing it to people soon."

She hugged him.

"Thank you, Dad."

She left the room.

Emma took a deep breath wondering what she had gotten herself into. She was admired that some common boy would feel brave enough to try to be the prince and get married to her. But she would not go easy on them.

 _To be continued…_


	3. The Selected Gentlemen

It was a hot day. Emma was looking for a dress suitable for this occasion: the announcement of The Selection for the people of Misthaven.

She chose an elegant dress that fell off her shoulders. Her look was classy.

"You look lovely, Emma."

"Thank you, Mom. You do too."

"I know this is overwhelming, but I think it'll be great and important for everyone."

"Yeah, the people, I know." Emma said miserably. She was feeling like she was being sold.

"Emma…I know you see this as a sacrifice, and trust me, I've been in your place and I know this is not easy. You have to do so many things not because you want, but because you must. And I know how awful this can be."

"It's okay, Mom. I'm not angry at you."

 _At least not anymore._

"You were when we proposed this." Her mother said smirking.

"I did." Emma grinned.

"I don't mind you being angry as long as you know how much I love you."

Emma reached to hug her.

"I love you Mom, I promise."

They held each other for a moment and Emma's Mom pulled back to smooth her dress.

"Ready?"

"Ready." Emma lied.

"Stay here, I'll find your Dad."

They were on the courtyard of the castle. Emma was sitting on a seat between her parents. They were in front of everyone. Her father stood up.

"People of Misthaven, today we have some very exciting news. And I believe there's no one better to delivery it than my beautiful daughter and our future queen: Emma Swan."

The crow cheered.

It was Emma's turn to stand up now.

"Thank you, Dad."

"Well…why don't you tell them what you have in mind?"

"Our great kingdom has gone through many doings in the past years. In my parents' lifetimes alone we've seen The Evil Queen take our kingdom, a lot of threats, attacks made by her guards…and it goes on. Though my parents got their kingdom back, we still face challenges. The Queen hasn't giving up and keeps threating us."

Emma was trying to smile and speak articulately. She had lessons on how to address an audience, but she still hated to do that.

"But I'm still eighteen years old. And I spend the majority of the day in an office with my dad. It's a little boring, no offence, your majesty." Emma turned up to her Dad, who was looking proud, just like her Mom.

"And it's a lot to handle, especially for someone who's only eighteen. So I've decided to search for a partner who's not just going to help me solve the kingdom's problems, but walk through life with me. To do that, I hope the kingdom will indulge my wish: to have a Selection."

Emma could see the advisers gasping and muttering and shocked faces of the crowd.

"Although this is considered an old method, my parents and I have decided that it's our best choice now. Tomorrow, letters will be sent to all the eligible young men in Misthaven. You'll have two weeks to decide whether you would like to compete for my hand. I realize, of course, that this is uncharted territory. You are not really familiar with a Selection, but I'm very excited to meet the next prince of Misthaven. And I'm hoping that all of Misthaven will celebrate with me. Emma gave a small curtsy and retreated to her seat. She could see the mass cheering, and some people booing, but her parents were with a proud look on their faces when she looked at them. She tried to tell herself that their reaction was enough, but she couldn't stop thinking in the unsatisfied minority.

* * *

The castle was a mess. There were staffs everywhere. It wasn't simply the maids and butlers running around in preparation, but people she'd never even seen before. Emma became the principal point of the Selection preparations. She had to help the decoration for the guest rooms.

"Your highness?" It was the voice of a servant. By his vest, he looked like a cook.

"Yes."

"Would you please join me?"

"Sure."

She entered the kitchen with the staff to find her Mom.

"Your Majesty, your highness, thank you for joining us." The man Emma assumed was the head chef bowed to them.

"We've been working to find appropriate options for the first dinner once your suitors arrive. We would like your approval for the menu."

 _Oh no…_

Emma was lying down in the garden trying to relax after long hours of tasting food. She closed her eyes as the sun warmed her, trying to forget her dreadful stomachache.

"Your Highness, what do you think about…?"

"Enough! I'm trying to relax a little!" Emma said before even hearing what the staff would say.

She was really stressed.

She closed her eyes for a minute focusing on forgetting all those preoccupations.

"I think you are experiencing how it is like to be a queen" She opened her eyes when she heard a voice.

"You fell asleep." It was her Mom.

"Yeah, just you know…tired of everything." Emma said still a little groggy.

"I know exactly how you feel."

"Too much to worry about."

"You know, Emma, sometimes I find myself wondering what would have happened if I never became the queen. And then I think: I don't regret marrying your father, and I never will. Even though this job can be quite stressing he gave me something I never thought I'd have again: a family. I lost both my mother and my father when I was so young. I was banned from my own home by Regina after my father's death, and I ended up alone. Of course, I had friends – like the dwarfs, but it was different. And when I met your father I never expected I'd fall for him or become a queen. And when you were born I felt in peace with myself and very happy again." Her mom said with a sorrow look on her face.

"I'm sorry for your loss, Mom."

"But the point is: I know you see this as a selfish act from me and your father, but sooner or later it would have happened. You'll get married and have much more responsibilities than you think. And…I'm sure you will at least…meet someone interesting in the Selection and you won't regret, trust me."

She took a deep breath. _This is not going to be easy._

* * *

They were at her father's office with a handful of servants and thirty-five baskets sitting there, filled with what must have been tens of thousands of entries, all left in their envelopes to protect the gentlemen's anonymity.

She felt her father's hands on her back.

"Em, just walk to each basket and select an envelope. And we will be announcing them for the people, alright?"

"So I just select each one myself?"

"Yes, go ahead."

She walked to the first basket and pulled one from the side and the ones who were present watched her concentrated.

Emma was trying to hide how nervous she was and to use different techniques for different bins. She finally placed the last entry in her father's hands. There were clapping and cheering. She tried to give an enthusiastic smile before they exit the room, leaving herself and her parents alone.

"I know how nerve-racking this can be, but you did marvelously, honey."

"Thank you, Dad. I just hope everything turns our as it should."

"It will."

* * *

"How are you?" Her mother asked calmly.

"Terrified."

"I know, but I'm proud of you, okay? Good luck."

They were back at the castle's courtyard.

"Ladies and gentlemen," her father started. "Here are the thirty-five young men invited to participate in this Selection."

She reached into the bowl and pulled out the first envelope.

"Mr. Thomas Moore;"

"Mr. Oliver Philips;"

"Mr. Jack Wright;"

"Mr. Killian Jones;"

"Mr. Graham Humbert;"

It felt like Emma had opened at least a hundred envelopes by the time her hands reached for the final one.

"And the last is…

"Mr. Neal Cassidy."

She heard the reactions around the room. Several gasps, a handful of laughs and some people clapping.

"There you have it. Tomorrow, advisers will be sent out to begin prepping these thirty-five candidates for the adventure before them. And, in one short week, they will arrive at the palace. Until then, join me in congratulating them. Thank you."

She returned to her seat with her parents hoping everything would come back to normal soon.

 _To be continued…_


	4. The Gentlemen

**Author's note:** **This chapter is short, I'm sorry! My school started last week and I'm really busy! But don't worry, I'll keep updating**!

* * *

"I think I want to wear black today, Joana. I want to look more mature."

"Trying to scare them?"

"A little" Emma said smirking.

They giggled together.

Emma found her black dress. _That's it. Perfect._ She let her hair down and put on her tiara. She had to admit, she was looking very beautiful.

* * *

She made her way downstairs. They had converted one of the libraries on the fourth floor into a Men's Parlor so the Selected could gather and relax during their time in the palace. She was heading to that area of the palace. They had decided that the suitors would be brought out one at a time to greet her and then escorted to the Men's Parlor to get to know one another. Her father looked stunned and her mother covered her mouth as she approached.

"Emma, you look…." Her father said staring at her.

"Perfect." Her mother concluded her Dad's sentence.

She smiled.

"Ready?" Her father asked.

"Yes. I don't intent to eliminate anyone just yet. I think everyone deserves at least a day."

Her father smiled. "Ah, that's wise."

She took a breath. "All right, then. Let's begin."

"Okay…we're going. We love you, alright?" Her mother said.

"I love you too." Emma hugged her parents.

"We have guards here, if anything happens, they'll cover up the situation."

"Okay Dad."

The general guard smiled at her.

"Your Highness, nervous?"

"Bring the first one out."

She saw a boy walking out of one of the libraries.

He stopped in front of her, bowing.

"Mr. Jack Wright, your highness."

She tilted her head. "It's a pleasure."

He was staring at her face, almost making a hole on her head. Emma was intimidated.

"You want to say something or…?"

"You…you're beautiful."

"Thank you. You can go now." Emma said pointing to the Men's Parlor.

He looked down before giving her another bow.

 _It's going to be a long, long day._

"Your Highness. I'm Graham Humbert." He said bowing.

"Welcome, sir."

"Thank you so much for letting us into your home. I hope to prove myself worthy of your hand more and more each day." His accent was really strong.

Emma nodded.

"You're welcome. You can go now."

He bowed and started to walk away. Emma was trying to do this fastest way she could.

She looked at the next gentleman. His short dark hair was falling on his face, and he walked with his hands in his pockets, looking confident.

"Your Highness. I'm Killian Jones."

She noticed he was looking at her hands.

"May I?"

Emma just nodded, still confused.

He gently took her hand in his and kissed it.

"Pleasure to meet you."

Emma only had realized now that she hadn't said a word yet.

"Welcome, Mr. Jones."

Killian realized that Emma was still surprised by the kiss on her hand.

"I was just trying to make you remember me, you know? Other 34 boys, it was a risk I had to take." He smirked.

"It was very nice to meet you, sir."

"And you, Your Highness. Hope to see you soon."

He walked away.

Emma was still a little surprised. _Why didn't I try to stop him? Right now my plan of scaring them is ruined._

The General's voice interrupted her thoughts.

"In case you've lost count, this is the last one."

"Thank Goodness!"

She looked at the next contestant that the General was bringing. He was dressed in a crisp suit. He bowed when he saw her.

"Hello your Highness. It's nice meeting you."

"Nice meeting you too."

"I'm Neal. Neal Cassidy. How are you?"

"I'm well, just having a long day. I'm sure it's being the same for you, too."

He smiled. "Yeah. Apparently living in a Castle is not as easy as I thought.

"That's right. It was nice meeting you, Mr. Neal Cassidy. The Men's parlor is over there." Emma said pointing out.

He smiled at his name and bowed again.

"General."

"Yes, Your Highness."

"Tell Dad I'll update him in an hour. I'm going for a walk."

* * *

Emma was tired. All she wanted to do was to go upstairs, lie down on her bed and rest a little, but she still had things to do. Some of them made her feel uneasy and uncomfortable. The smooth words, the leering eyes. She could feel that she was being looked as a prize.


End file.
